Justice Azmat Saeed to be sworn in as LHC CJ

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed is expected to take oath as the new chief justice of Lahore High Court on Saturday (today), it has been learnt.
All is set to receive the new chief justice at the oldest court of Pakistan. Justice Saeed, who is famous his ‘judicial intelligence’, will be 40th chief justice of the court. The court’s staff, lawyers and his colleague judges have expressed satisfaction over his appointment as the LHC CJ.
Sources said the protocol staffs of the court have been alerted and the arrangements have been finalised to usher Justice Saeed into the high-roofed courtroom meant for chief justices. The outgoing chief justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry who has been elevated to Supreme Court, will also take oath as an SC judge simultaneously on Saturday or on Monday.
The summary of Justice Saeed’s appointment was approved by the Parliamentary Committee on the Appointment of Judges the other day and is waiting for President Asif Ali Zardari’s signature, which is expected to be done by Friday evening, sources said, adding that after that the formality the oath can be administered to him any time on Saturday or on Monday. To a question about any delay, the judicial insiders told Pakistan Today that Justice Saeed was frank and friendly and did not have any foes in any party and that made him a good judge. The president will not delay the matter since he was aware of Justice Saeed’s integrity since the days when he (Zardari) was fighting his cases in the courts.
JUSTICE AZMAT SAEED’s PROFILE: Justice Saeed was appointed an additional (adhoc) judge of the Lahore High Court on December 12, 2004 and was confirmed as an LHC judge a year later. He was born on August 28, 1954 in Rawalpindi and he completed his basic education from the same city. He did his Senior Cambridge from St Mary’s Academy in 1970 and graduated from Sir Syed College, Rawalpindi in 1974.
He joined the Punjab University Law College Old Campus Lahore and obtained his LLB degree in 1978. He then joined the legal profession in the same year at Rawalpindi and after completion of apprenticeship, was enrolled as an advocate the same year in 1978. After working in various chambers he started his independent practice in Lahore in 1980 and was enrolled as an advocate of the LHC and subsequently as an advocate of the SC.
He was appointed a legal advisor to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) in 1996 and was appointed as special prosecutor by Ehtesab Bureau in 1997 and was a member of the legal team prosecuting high profile cases before the LHC Lahore and Rawalpindi Bench. He was appointed as NAB deputy prosecutor general at Islamabad in the year 2000 for a period of one year and later he was made special prosecutor in 2001 to prosecute cases before the accountability courts at the Attock Fort and Rawalpindi.
He also taught in the Quaid–e-Azam Law College Lahore for three years. During the course of legal professional career he conducted a large number of cases before the civil and banking courts and the high courts of Sindh, NWFP and Lahore.
He also appeared as advocate before the cricket inquiry including in proceedings held at the Malborne (Australia) in addition to litigation. He was also involved in negotiations of various commercial and financial transactions both inside and outside Pakistan. He participated in international conferences on financial crimes and money laundering. On account of his personal and professional commitments he has visited various countries including USA, Germany, UK, France, Australia, Turkey, Singapore, UAE, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Thailand.
In June 2006 he was nominated as member of the Board of Governors of the National College of Arts.